#PCBrigade: New GUESS girl Priyanka thrills London fans before hob-nobbing with British celebs

London’s busy shopping hub Regent Street is used to having its sidewalks crammed with bargain hunters and Chinese tourists but Monday evening saw the famous pavements jam-packed with a whole new swarm of humanity.

Several hundred eager fans of former Miss World and Bollywood starlet Priyanka Chopra flooded the street just outside the London flagship of GUESS? for an exclusive appearance by the star who was announced as the newest face of the chic fashion label last year.

Chopra, 31, looked stunning as usual in a striped monochrome sweater and jeans and was greeted by a deafening roar as she made her way into the store for an autograph session and meet-and-greet with some lucky fans.

The ‘Barfi!’ star later tweeted: ‘Thank U all for coming to the @GUESS store! Was so amazing to feel all the love.. I’m grateful.. Thank u all at Guess too’

The actress used the occasion to provide fans an exclusive sneak preview of her latest single “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, a song Chopra described as one of her “favourites”.

Speaking exclusively to the UKAsian, Priyanka said: “It’s something completely different. It’s the reason I became a musician. I’m very proud of it.”

Priyanka’s producers will doubtless hope that the new single will fare better than her first two releases “In My City” and “Exotic”, both of which failed to light up the US charts despite enjoying significant download success in India.

To be fair the first single – featuring megastar Will.i.am – was touted as a theme tune for the National Football League’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ telecast whilst its follow up ‘Exotic’, which featured a bikini-clad Priyanka frolicking with rapper Pitbull, wasn’t promoted as extensively as a sophomore release would normally be.

“My first two singles were essentially feelers, testing the waters because I’m a first time musician and it’s a long process. Success isn’t something that you can push. It takes people years to break through.

Having said that I’m absolutely overjoyed about what success both songs have enjoyed, especially in India. I’m not expecting the world but I’m just going to do the best that I can and hope for the best”, Priyanka added.

Whilst her first tentative steps into music might not have set the world alight, it is beyond doubt that the Bollywood beauty possesses oodles of cross-over appeal.

GUESS? CEO Paul Marciano is said to have been struck by Chopra’s resemblance to a “young Sophia Loren” when he first laid eyes on her and immediately signed her up for the brand’s 2013/2014 holiday campaign.

With her signing Chopra became the first celeb of Indian descent to become a global brand ambassador for a fashion label whose previous promoters have included supermodel Claudia Schiffer, playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith and the stunning American model Kate Upton, the current darling of the anti-size-zero brigade.

Chopra was photographed by mega-rocker-turned-award-winning photographer Bryan Adams no less and the campaign adds to a burgeoning list of Hollywood gigs for the starlet.

Apart from her debut album, in 2013 Chopra lent her voice to the Disney animation ‘Planes’ and has signed with the venerable Hollywood talent hub the Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Speaking of what is essential in ensuring cross-over success, Priyanka said: “I think you just need to be yourself. I think success is not something you can push, it’s not something you can create with a specific strategy. You need to be good at what you do and be yourself.

As soon as you try to be somebody else, people will recognize it immediately.”

Confirming her status as an increasingly “global” icon, Chopra was later hosted to a VIP Dinner by GUESS attended by the a slew of British celebs.

The event at the exclusive London Edition Hotel in the West End was attended by model David Gandy, singers Pixie Lott, Eliza Doolittle and Siva Kaneswaran from The Wanted.